President Donald Trump announced a new trade deal with Mexico late Monday morning — but the announcement almost turned into a live television disaster when the phone in the Oval Office failed to cooperate, leaving the president hanging in a room full of American journalists, unable to hear Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto or his translator.
WATCH:
The president began by addressing the gathered press, talking a little bit about the deal and how the United States had been “badly hurt” by NAFTA.
He said that the new deal, currently only between the United States and Mexico (and signed off on by both current President Nieto and President-Elect Andrés Abrader) was much better for both countries.
But then he tried to get President Nieto on speaker phone, and things didn’t go exactly as planned.
“Enrique? … You can hook them up … Tell me when … It’s a big thing … A lot of people waiting. Hello? … You want to put that on this phone please? … Hello? Thank you.”
After a long pause, Nieto and his translator finally came through and the announcement went on without another hitch.
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